Content Creator Nicole Liel's BTO Bomb Shelter Is Now A Walk-In Wardrobe — A Minon-Themed One, At That

If you're on social media often, chances are you would've heard about local content creator Nicole Liel's ID drama, where she shared about her renovation horror story and the less-than-ideal experience she had with her interior designer. 

In the latest episode of Kaypoh Room Tours, Nicole gives host Hazelle Teo a tour of her freshly finished space, finally completed just in time for the shoot. 

Nicole and her husband live in a 1,200 sq ft five-room BTO located in Yishun that "took way too long to renovate". They bought their home for around S$500K, and while Nicole couldn’t provide the exact renovation costs — since their place was only completed that morning of filming — she reveals they had already spent over S$50K on renovations by that point.

"You know when you queue up to enter the ride for Disneyland? That's the vibe I feel my hallway gives," she says of her new home done up in a mid-century and colonial theme.

The walls of her home feature white panelled wainscoting, complemented by wooden floors and black-framed glass doors, giving the space a classic, upscale vibe.

Hidden behind a wall of white panels are four nooks with push-to-open storage shelves.

Alluding to one of her renovation headaches, Nicole says: “Let me show you not just where things are stored, but also my chiropractic skills — because of someone, you have to use an extreme amount of force to open this one.”

Despite the struggle with that stubborn door, the shelves now give Nicole plenty of hidden storage for personal items, medicine, bags, and even all her pet supplies.

She also converted her bomb shelter into a Minion themed walk-in-wardrobe, complete with yellow walls and stickers of minions on the back of the door.

Nicole and her husband each have their own clothing rack. She explains: “[One reason] I use my bomb shelter as a wardrobe is so I don’t end up accumulating trash or feeling sentimental about throwing things away [because I have the extra storage space].”

Nicole’s hallway boasts a striking wall that she calls her favourite part of the house — a mural wallpaper of her dogs running freely in a garden. The toile de jouy art style is reminiscent of the prints seen on Dior bags and Chagee cups, she says.

The designer behind the unique piece? ChatGPT. Nicole fed the AI prompts to generate the images she wanted for the mural.

“I wanted [this] to mean something to me. I think Singaporeans are very scared of colours, patterns, and embellishments. I've seen too many houses with just plain white walls, but sometimes when you sprinkle some fun things in, it makes your house you," she quips. 

Nicole’s bedroom features warm wood tones, with a wooden arch framing her bed area for a cosy, inviting vibe.

"You know the Louvre in Paris? But I want it to be obiang. It's giving like 'got a lot of money to spend, like stupid amounts of money'," she muses. 

On the topic of her viral renovation story, Nicole says: "Coming out from this whole renovation, I can feel the tangible support of my followers. Normally when I interact with them, it's them liking or commenting on my posts,

"But at that point in time, I was like what can I do to get [my ID] to get his act together? I felt very gaslit, so I wanted some validation that this cannot be normal. People started messaging me, sending me long messages about what happened to them [in their renovation journeys] and encouraging me," she adds. 

Sharing advice she has for those who are planning to hire interior designers for their renovations, Nicole says: "The moment you feel something is off, document everything. What's happening to me now is that there are rectifications [to be done] and I have to bear the cost of them. If you're not documenting everything and you cannot come up with a proper chronological order of things, it's going to be difficult for you to fight your case."

Well, at least after a long and stressful renovation, Nicole’s house is finally complete — and it looks so amazing that you’d never guess the drama that unfolded behind the scenes.